Burgess made a blistering 6.036/240.38 pass in the first qualifying pass Friday behind the wheel of his ProCare Rx '67 Camaro, but was never able to repeat the level of performance during qualifying, turning in a 17.401/45.44 and a 7.780/123.45 in the remaining passes.

"Al [Billes, crew chief] was really faced with some difficult decisions, because we had never run this track before, and the conditions were somewhat hostile. The air was hot, there was some humidity, and the track averaged more than 110-degrees," Burgess said.

"The good thing was that the groove is really wide here, so if we could grab it, we could get it to go - and that's what he was trying to do, get us good traction at the beginning of our laps and then put more power to the track farther down.

"I have to say, I really do like this Heartland Park facility - the people are excellent and very accommodating, and the track is prepared so well - it's just hot, and you can't change the weather, you just have to adjust for it," he said.

Burgess faced off against current points-leader Burton Auxier in the first round of eliminations Saturday afternoon. At the flash of green, the Camaro took a hop and a jump, striking the tires and forcing Burgess to lift off the throttle to avoid hitting the wall, handing Auxier the win.

"On that last run, the left tire had a lot of traction the right had none, so it just turned straight to the right and into the wall," Burgess explained. "When a Pro Mod car makes a little move, you can correct and come back, but on a big move, you don't have a choice but to lift. If you try to over drive it, then you end up on the top of the car.

"We'll just pack it up and head to Englishtown, but first we'll stay and root for our other team car, Raymond [Commisso], and hope he makes it to the winner's circle," he added.

Next up for Burgess and the R2B2 Racing team are the United Association NHRA SuperNationals June 11-14 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.

Courtesy of Matthew Brammer